Well established in the heart of the Swiss mountains, Quebecer Laurent Dauphin is very excited to start a new adventure with the founding of Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss premier league. However, the one who spent two and a half years in the Montreal Canadiens organization openly admitted that he would have liked to have continued this experience longer.
Dauphin was acquired by CH at the beginning of 2020, shortly before Covid-19 broke out. Then the forward was sent to Montreal in the Nashville Predators organization in return for Michael McCarron.
This allowed Dauphin to experience what many Quebecers have dreamed of since they were young, namely becoming part of the legendary Montreal Canadiens organization.
“It was going so well in Milwaukee, I wasn’t getting along particularly well with the coach, it was going a little bit nowhere,” Dauphin, who now lives in the Swiss city of Bellinzona, said in an interview with TVASports.ca. Coming to Montreal was great news.
“I would tell you that this exchange with Joël (Bouchard) gave my career at the beginning in Laval a further boost, a kind of second impetus. It gave me back the desire to play and to grow beyond myself.”
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Between 2020 and 2022, the now 28-year-old forward played in 64 games with the Rockets and 38 games with the Canadiens, collecting 12 points, including four goals (Watch one of his goals in the main video). And by his admission, he would have liked to continue with the Habs. He even received an offer from Bleu-Blanc-Rouge management, but preferred to return to Arizona with the Coyotes; a decision he says he regrets.
“I had a similar offer to Arizona, but I believed my chances of playing there were better than the Canadiens and the youth pool they have,” Dolphin recalled. In the end, Arizona was average.
“[…] But you make decisions, it was July 1st and it’s hard to predict the future. Montreal had a lot of injuries and I probably would have played, but it’s hard to say. We tried to make the best hockey decision. It was hard to leave this environment that I loved.”
It’s over, the shuttle
After the 2022-2023 season, Dauphin, who was selected as a second-round pick and 39th overall by the then-Phoenix Coyotes in 2013, made the decision to take on a completely different challenge; European ice hockey.
Dauphin received the offer from Club Ambri-Piotta at the end of May last year and, not wanting to risk being left empty-handed on July 1st, he decided to pack his bags with his girlfriend and his whole boy.
And let’s just say that he doesn’t regret his decision at all, but without closing the door on a possible return to North America.
“Coming here, mainly to Switzerland, has always been something I wanted to do,” Dauphin said. We got a great deal that we liked. We told ourselves it wasn’t worth the risk. (And) playing anywhere other than Montreal, it wasn’t really possible to leave and commute again with the family.
“I was a little tired (from commuting). I’m not closing the door, but things are going great here at the moment and the quality of family life is great. For me it was a good decision.”
Courtesy of HC Ambri-Piotta
Unchained Supporters
For newcomers to the Swiss National League, the club HC Ambri-Piotta, which has already welcomed former Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty to its ranks, plays in Quinto, a small village of 1,000 inhabitants in the Italian part of Switzerland.
The team plays its local games in a brand new arena with nearly 7,000 seats, where Dauphin says fans go crazy.
“The fans here are different,” explained the Quebecer with a smile in his voice. They are on their feet the whole game and scream during the game. I had to get used to it because it’s difficult to concentrate while playing. You can’t really hear on the ice. It’s even louder than the Bell Center because it’s during the game. It’s cool for the fans. It brings a lot of energy.
“[…] The crazy thing is that it’s always full and we have a new 7,000 seat arena. Even on Tuesday evening at 7:45 p.m. we don’t know exactly where the people are from, but in my opinion they live in the Bellinzona area because there are not enough people in Ambri to fill the arena. ”
Dauphin, who has picked up 10 points in 9 games since the start of the season, also talks about the club’s rivalry with neighboring Lugano.
“We played in Lugano last week,” he continued. It’s called a derby here. These are very important games for people, they take them to heart. Our fans are often out and about, they have their own section. It’s something special. It’s a bit like European football.”
Courtesy of HC Ambri-Piotta
Italian? No problem!
So Dauphin is completely happy, even if the adaptation required some adjustments, especially in terms of language.
“It’s definitely still not easy, it’s a lot of Italian,” he laughed. Sometimes you almost have better chances in French than in English. […] My girlfriend is taking a few (Italian) lessons. She was able to order this for us at the restaurant. It doesn’t really bother me. It is certain that at the beginning you will have difficulties, adapt and learn a few words that will be useful to you.”
Far from the spotlight amid magical landscapes in the Swiss mountains, the attacker leads a quiet life with his family while practicing the sport he loves. Even if he doesn’t make the Sainte-Flanelle fans at the Bell Center jump out of their seats, the Quebecer has no regrets.
“All’s well that ends well, I’m very happy here.”
And there can’t be a better ending.